Cancellation of Scores by Harcourt Assessment

Harcourt Assessment is
responsible for reporting scores that accurately reflect the performance of
examinees. For this reason, Harcourt Assessment adheres to a set of test
administration and test security standards that require the review of all PCAT
scores and administrative conditions.

Harcourt Assessment
reserves the right to cancel any test score believed to be obtained in a
questionable manner. This includes testing/administrative irregularities,
questionable score gains, questionable item responses, unusual answer patterns,
misconduct, non-compliance with policies, plagiarism, or any other reason
that would invalidate the score. These reasons are discussed in more detail
below. For any of these reasons, Harcourt Assessment may either decline to
score the test or cancel the test score. Affected examinees may, at Harcourt’s
discretion, be given the opportunity to take the test again at no charge.

The cancellation of an
examinee’s score as a result of these policies in no way suggests that cheating
or any other inappropriate action has occurred. A score invalidation is a
technicality that may be an inconvenience for both the examinee and Harcourt
Assessment, but it is necessary in order to maintain the integrity of the test
and to ensure that test scores are as accurate and as reflective of each
examinee’s ability as possible.

All score cancellations
and invalidations are held in strict confidence, with the reason for the
cancellation disclosed only to the examinee, except in certain group cases. When
Harcourt Assessment cancels a score after the results have already been
reported, all Official Transcript recipients are notified that the score has
been cancelled, but the reason for cancellation is not disclosed, except in
certain cases involving groups of examinees. An examinee whose scores are
cancelled may apply to take the test again and pay all applicable fees. Any
request to take the test again will be evaluated by Harcourt Assessment with
consideration for the reason that the score was cancelled.

Cancellation of Scores Due toTesting Irregularities

Testing irregularities are
problems that occur during a test administration. These irregularities include,
but are not limited to, possible compromises to the test, inappropriate seating
or timing, defective test materials, disruptions to a test administration (such
as a power loss or a natural disaster), misconduct, examinees misrepresenting
identity, unauthorized access to test contents, receiving or providing
assistance of any kind during the test, failing to comply with test
administration regulations or with directions given by the test administrator or
a proctor, having prohibited materials in the testing room, removing test
materials from the testing room, creating a disturbance (such as talking during
testing, letting a cell phone ring during testing, or any other action deemed
disruptive by the test center staff), and violating any other Harcourt
Assessment test administration policy, as described in the Candidate
Information Booklet or on the PCAT website.

When a testing
irregularity occurs, Harcourt Assessment will examine the situation and
determine whether corrective action is warranted, including non-scoring of
Answer Booklets or cancellation of scores. At Harcourt’s discretion, examinees
may be given the option either to retest at no additional fee [for PCAT,
normally on a future national test date] or to receive a refund of his or her
examination fee (unless the affected examinees are found to have caused or been
involved in the conduct which resulted in the corrective action, in which event
Harcourt reserves the right to withhold either or both of these options). If
Harcourt offers a retest and the examinee chooses that option, the examinee must
retake the entire examination in order to produce a valid score. These are the
only options available to examinees affected by a testing irregularity.

Cancellation of Scores
Due to Questionable Item Responses or Unusual Answer Patterns

If the results of a test show
unusual similarities in test item responses by examinees who took the PCAT at
the same Test Center, or if an examinee’s responses to test items show that an
unusually large proportion of responses are all the same answer option (for
example, an unreasonable preponderance of “A” choices), the examinee’s scores
may be cancelled. Harcourt Assessment will examine each situation and, in its
sole discretion, will determine what corrective action is warranted. When
Harcourt Assessment decides to cancel test scores for reasons of questionable
item responses or unusual answer patterns, the examinee will be notified before
the action is taken. The notice to the examinee will include the options
available regarding the planned score cancellation, which may or may not include
an offer of a retest.

Cancellation of Scores
Due to Questionable Score Gain

If an examinee’s scores seem
questionable when compared to PCAT scores obtained by the examinee in the
previous testing cycle, the scores may be cancelled. When scores are cancelled
for this reason, no scores will be reported to the examinee or to any score
recipient schools.

Harcourt Assessment follows a
strict policy in determining when a score gain is questionable and thus invalid.
The following explanation of this policy refers to scaled score points, which
are reported on the personal Score Report and the Official Transcripts.

If the score on the most recent test is 50 or
more scaled score points greater than the previous test score, an invalidation
of the most recent test score automatically occurs due to the large score gain.
The most recent test then becomes known as the “Score Gain Test.”

The examinee is notified that his or her
score on this test has been invalidated and that the score will never be
reported to anyone. The examinee will be allowed to retake the test at no
additional cost only if he or she contacts PSE Customer Relations within 30
days of the notification from Harcourt Assessment. This retake is referred
to as a “Free Retest.” The Free Retest must be taken on the next
regularly-scheduled national test date. The following policies apply to
scores earned on the Free Retest:

If the scaled score on the Free Retest is
within 25 scaled score points above or below the invalidated score on
the Score Gain Test, the score on the Free Retest is validated and scores
from the Free Retest will be released. The examinee will receive a
personal Score Report, and each of the score recipient schools indicated
will receive an Official Transcript, which will include the scores from the
Free Retest, but not the scores from the Score Gain Test.

If the scaled score on the
Free Retest is more than 25 scaled score points above or below the
invalidated score on the Score Gain Test, the score on the invalidated test
remains invalidated and the scores will not be released. In addition,
the scores on the Free Retest are also invalidated, and the scores will
not be released. Neither the original Score Gain Test scores nor the
Free Retest scores will ever be released to anyone.

Cancellation of Scores
Deemed Invalid for any Other Reason

Harcourt Assessment may
cancel scores if, in its judgment, other substantial evidence suggests that
these scores are invalid. Evidence suggesting that scores must be invalidated
include, but are not limited to, inconsistent performance on different parts of
the test, inconsistent handwriting, plagiarism (quoting, paraphrasing, or using
language that appears in published or unpublished sources without attribution),
essay text similar to text found in essays written by other PCAT examinees, and
item responses or essays that are in any way not produced exclusively by the
examinee. Before canceling a score for any of these reasons, Harcourt Assessment
will notify the examinee and provide an opportunity for the examinee to submit
an explanation. Harcourt Assessment will review the information submitted by the
examinee in response to the notification of score cancellation and may offer the
examinee a choice of options, which may include voluntary score cancellation or
a Free Retest.